Irish local authorities prepare for Brexit – ours lag behind

“Local authorities face a number of uncertainties due to Brexit but are focussed on building resilience in their areas to prepare.

Addressing the recent conference ‘Local Authorities – Implications for Local Authorities and their Areas,’ Jackie Maguire, Chair of the County and City Management Association (CCMA) said Brexit has been to the forefront of local authority considerations since the UK vote to leave the EU.

‘Preparing for the unknown is a huge challenge. In the local authority sector, our approach has been to consider all our plans and actions through the lens of Brexit, while maintaining close contact with Government and relevant departments throughout the negotiation period,’ she said.

The conference heard that as well as the potential impact on local business and economic development, there are a number of practical implications for local authorities, particularly in border regions.

Citing the current arrangement, where the Northern Irish Fire Service provides first response to call outs in parts of Donegal and giving the further example of an ongoing cross-border greenway project, she said:

‘While both the Republic and Northern Ireland have been members of the EU, we have been able to work collaboratively on shared infrastructure development and shared service provision. We now face into an unknown situation as to whether that can continue.’

The CCMA Chair also highlighted the impact Brexit may have on environmental standards, ‘Currently we apply relatively consistent environmental policies north and south; this is the best way to achieve results. The Water Framework Directive, for example, is implemented in both jurisdictions to manage river basins and improve water quality but rivers don’t stop at borders.’

‘Local authorities will do what we can to proactively mitigate against the worst impacts of Brexit and capitalise on any opportunities.’

‘This will involve not only our economic development and tourism teams but teams across our organisations – in planning, roads, housing, infrastructure and other areas. We will ensure efficient, responsive services and ambitious plans that will encourage enterprise, entice visitors and allow our areas to thrive.'”